Guys,
I happened to see the end of a news story on TV here last week some time about a house in South Devon in the UK that caught fire after a plumbing apprentice (on his first day at work) managed to set the roof on fire with a blow-torch.
I can't find a link to the story anywhere on the Net and wondered if those closer to the UK can find it?.
What seemed strange in this news story, was the shot of a fire appliance on a barge going across a lake??, I never knew that Devon had lakes.
Can anyone back this thread up with a link?.
Cheers,
Mike.

Here it is



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/6562453.stm

http://www.pr-inside.com/fiery-start-r99968.htm

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/dis...29&folderPk=83364&pNodeId=144659

Its right on the water
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Kingswear,+Devon,+kittery+court+United+Kingdom&layer=&sll=50.346884,-3.574247&sspn=0.006655,0.021029&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=15&ll=50.348665,-3.572874&spn=0.006655,0.021029

K 99, make pumps 2, or pump boat 1 !

I hadn't seen this story before, but it sure looks like a nasty fire.

The "lake" referred to is really a wide point in the estuary of the River Dart.

If you play around with the Google map you'll find several spots around the south coasts of Devon and Cornwall which have similar kinds of estuaries: Try Saltash/Plymouth (River Tamar - the boundary between the two counties), and Falmouth up to Truro (Carrick Roads) for two more examples.

Robbie,
Thanks a heap for the good links, mate!
I can't help but think that a story like this begs a question to be asked:
What is an apprentice doing in a roof with a blow-torch, on his first day in the trade?.
Where was the supervision?.
There was a similar (although not as much damage) situation here when I first joined the Fire Service of a young fella that set the underfloor area of a house on fire with a blow-torch, sweating some pipe joints.
Am I wrong in thinking that there should have been a metallic heat shield behind the area where the work was being done, to protect the surrounding timber from the flame?
When jointing refrigeration pipes under a house we always used to have wet rags and the heat shield as well as a fire extinguisher.
What a way to learn on your first day in the trade!!.

This happened where I used to live-

A kid around 15 years old was done school for the summer and started working at a construction site as a labourer. The foreman told him to gather up scrap wood and brush and to burn it. Next thing you know is the highway was blocked off due to a forest fire. This kid wasn't shown how to contain the fire or anything. Just piled it up and lit a match. Supervisor wasn't around and when it got out of control all hell broke loose. I think it was his first day also but it may have been his first week.